The middle of an endless war: Ars reviews Killzone 2

Killzone 2 suffers from the weight of expectation, and a war of words that has …

Because the newly released Killzone 2 is a high-profile PlayStation 3 exclusive, it seems that any review of the title is taken as a referendum on the PlayStation 3 platform itself—an unfair burden to place on any single title. Killzone 2 was a long time coming, and after playing through the single player campaign—we'll be covering the multiplayer in a later update—it's unclear that the game is worth the sound and fury we're seeing online.

Heavier than Resistance 2 and faster-paced than Gears of War 2, Killzone 2 has carved its own niche in the feel department. You'll want to jack up the sensitivity on your controller, and I found that the default control scheme makes little to no sense. Standard 2 is the setting of the Gods, however, and I suspect most gamers will settle there. Your character seems to be rather stout, with a low viewpoint and a heavy gait. He may not look dwarfish in the cut-scenes, but you'd be forgiven if you perceived a slight Gimli-like feel to his movements while playing.

So what's the story here? It doesn't really matter. There are bad guys, called the Helghast, and there are good guys, and the good guys are overworked and tired, but willing to fight as long as this hellish war lasts. They may as well be assigned numbers, there is so little actual character on display.

The bad guys are menacing, the good guys are scrappy, you encounter new weapons, there is much cursing throughout the fighting... it's like every war-gaming trope was dumped into a large machine and the story of the game was created like sausage. Even the first title had a better story and more distinct characters. A man bleeds out the mouth and then dies. Nuclear codes become important. The ending hints at a sequel. You've seen all this before.

So why am I still thinking about it after having beaten the single-player campaign? Why would I like nothing more than to load everything back up and play again? Let's find out.

Violence is its own economy

In Killzone 2, war is a teeth-ratting affair. The Helghast speak in gravelly, rough voices. Guns look and feel like heavy, nasty machinery. Blood sprays often, in thick ropes. You can only carry two guns at once—a heavier weapon and your pistol—and there are two types of grenade to be had. The battles feel nasty, but stripped to their bare components. Your enemy will try to flank you, and will react to your tactics. You'll understand the vocabulary of this game within seconds of picking it up.

While the shotgun feels disappointingly weak, the other guns more than make up for it. Our favorite? A bolt gun that fires rounds that pin enemies to the nearest wall before exploding. There is also an electrical weapon that feels crazily overpowered, although watching your enemies be electrocuted to death is a good time. Because your enemies consist of Helghast in slightly different clothes 90 percent of the time, the firefights could easily get old; but thankfully, weapon management and a well-designed environment keep things interesting.

The game does take advantage of the PS3 controller, but the motion controls are a mixed bag. While it's cool that the game forces you to hold the controller still when sniping to get a good bead on the enemy, the way it makes you twist your hands to put charges on the wall feels more like a gimmick than anything that aids in immersion. The character's actions become mechanical in these instances, making the motions feel more like waggle than actual motion control.